Imperil
by CaptainHolopainen
Summary: Lord of the Rings fanfic.  Aragorn has a nasty run in with an Orc


Imperil.

Aragorn manages to get himself into a spot of bother.

Aragorn curled his fingers tightly around the silver-ended sword in the leather scabbard dangling from his lean hip. Keeping his hand there, he took a step forward, one mud-caked leather boot disappearing into a pile of golden leaves. Gimli and Legolas had ventured somewhere within the woods. The bush to his right rustled and he quickly snapped his head sideways, drawing his sword at the same time. He held the sword out in front of him, the blade of it glinting in the light of the moon. His breaths came quick. His blue eyes stared directly into the bush. He moved forward towards the bush, the glint moving to the Evenstar around his neck. A hand appeared out of the bush, parting it, then a leg came out. He stepped back to let the figure out. He immediately recognised the tan-coloured suede and the dark green trousers. The leg was followed by a slim figure. Legolas stepped out, picking pieces of twig from his long, golden hair. Aragorn watched him, wondering how he could keep his hair so neat in those tight braids in the wilderness. His hair was long and shaggy, and looked like it hadn't been washed in days.

A much smaller figure followed after. He had no care for the twigs in his ginger, plaited beard. His tiny frame caused him to come out worst off in being attacked by twigs. In his little porky hand was a dripping leather-bound bottle. Aragorn sheathed my sword and rested his hands on his hips with a smile across his face. Gimli held out the bottle to him and he took it.

" What took you?" asked Aragorn.

" The only way to the river was through bushes." replied Gimli. Aragorn nodded and unscrewed the lid. He took a short drink, then capped the bottle again and handed it back.

" We should rest here tonight." Gimli did not hesitate in unpacking his roll. He lay down and curled up with a blanket pulled tight around him. Aragorn turned to Legolas who gazed in the direction from which he came.

" There's something foul lingering." said Legolas, not tearing his Elf-blue eyes away.

" Sleep. I will keep watch." Legolas glanced at him, then went over to the tree and lay down at the base of it. He folded his hands on his stomach and his eyes stared up at the sky. Aragorn watched over them for a moment, then proceeded to sit on a log. He took out his delicately carved pipe and his weed. He pushed a little of the weed from the bundle into the pipe and lit it. He pushed the bundle back into his roll on his back and puffed on the pipe, small pulses of smoke leaving the end of it. The night-time air was cool, yet comfortable.

He begun to feel tired, but not enough to sleep. He stretched his long legs out that ached from all of the walking. Yet they ached more when he rested. His weed had burned out, so he put his pipe back into his roll. He clasped his hands between his knees and stared in the direction of another clearing in the trees. The bush closest to him rustled and he quickly snapped his head around. He slowly rose to his feet with his right hand on the hilt of his sword. He was more cautious, his heart almost pounding a hole in his chest. He looked over at Legolas and Gimli who both slept peacefully, though Legolas did not look like he was for he slept with his eyes open. The bush rustled again, and he knew that this time it could not have been them. He drew his sword once more and held it out before him. Legolas was right- there was something foul lingering. He could smell it. He heard a rustling come from the bushes opposite so he glanced in that direction. An Orc dived out of the bushes beside him and tackled him to the ground. He and the Orc tumbled into a pile of leaves and his sword flung from his hand. The Orc lay on top of him with one hand wrapped tightly around his neck and an oddly-shaped axe raised above its ugly head. Its yellow eyes were either side of a long, crooked nose and its mouth was full of yellow, spiked teeth. Aragorn gasped for breath, his fingers grappling to get the end of his sword hilt. But each time he tried to get his sword, the Orc's grip got tighter so that he ended up failing to get it. He curled his fingers into a fist and threw a punch into the Orc's arm to at least get it to loosen its grip. But it didn't.

" Where are the Halflings?" it snorted. But he gasped in reply. It brought the side of the axe to the side of his head. Everything blurred for a moment…

When he finally came around, the pain in his head pounded with every pulse. He got a flash of fear- an emotion he rarely used- when he went to rub his head to try and ease the pain, and discovered that his hands had been bound tightly behind his back with some rough rope. His ankles were also bound and stretched out before him. He sat up against a tree somewhere in the woods. The Orc was sat by a tree, snapping twigs and throwing them onto a roaring fire. The flames crackled and felt warm. His sword lay by the Orc's leg, the blade gleaming from the orange glow of the fire. His hands itched to hold the sword again and take off the Orc's head with a swipe. He stretched his fingers out as far as the rope would allow him to, then he glared at the Orc. It turned to look at him and pulled a small, strangely-curved knife from its belt and held it out before it.

" Tell me where the Halflings are. Tell me where the Ring is."

" The Ring is long gone. Do you even think for one second that I would tell you where it is?"

" You are a Man. Men lust power."

" I still won't tell you. But even I don't know where the Halflings are. Perhaps you should ask your Uruk-Hai friends." It pierced his shoulder with the blade, making him scream in pain. Blood soaked through his dark grey shirt and his leather jacket. He gasped with the pain. It sat back down by the fire and wiped the blade on its trousers.

He waited for the opportune moment. The Orc had fallen asleep. As quietly as possible, he dropped to his side and wriggled across the woodland floor. He stretched out his arms and hands and managed to get the sword. He sliced the bonds from his wrists, then from his ankles. He rubbed his wrists, seeing the bruising and the cuts from the rope. He stared down at the sleeping Orc, and took the handle of his sword into both hands. He raised the sword a little, then brought it down on the Orc's neck, severing its head from its shoulders in one clean swipe. The head rolled into the bushes and black blood left the body in long-distance spurts.

Gimli and Legolas must have heard Aragorn's screams of pain. As he went back to the clearing in which they had been staying, he met up with them appearing through some bushes. Gimli wrapped his small arms around Aragorn's waist as that was as high as he could reach.

" Aragorn, my lad! There you are." Aragorn gave him a weak smile as he let go of him. But the effect of his injuries caused him to collapse into Legolas' arms.

" Aragorn!"

When he came around once more, someone was gently dabbing at the wound in his shoulder. Her beautiful, porcelain-like face was facing him, smiling at him. Her blue eyes gazed into his. Her dainty, pointed ears came from under long, dark hair half pulled into a ponytail. Her hands were so soft and gentle, he barely felt any pain. His shirt and jacket had been taken off so that he sat bare-chested in a marble armchair. He smiled at her as she dipped the cloth into the warm water again and wrung it out. She continued to clean his wound.

" If this is a dream, then it is a good dream." he sighed.

" It is. Welcome back."

" Arwen." He ran his fingers down the side of her delicate face, both of them smiling. His wrists had been bandaged. He caressed her hair and her face. Two figures appeared at the door, and he turned to look at them. Legolas and Gimli looked fresh and bright. Gimli ran over and hugged him hard.

" Aragorn, my laddie! You gave us a real scare!"

" I am sorry, Gimli." Aragorn looked up at Legolas who just smiled. Arwen tied a silk-like bandage around Aragorn's upper torso and he gazed lovingly into her eyes.


End file.
